How to choose the best access point for your restaurant’s WiFi network (part 1)

Are you planning to deploy a new Wi-Fi network in restaurants? Read this article to find out the three main requirements for a successful Wi-Fi deployment.

When setting up a new Wi-Fi network, you need to make sure you choose the right access point depending on the environment in which it will be deployed and your project’s budget. As for Wi-Fi projects targeting restaurants, you need to consider the following aspects: the size of the network’s covered area, the number of concurrent users and internet usage.

1. Location size

The first step to consider is the size of your Wi-Fi network’s location: is the size of your restaurant big, medium or small?

On average, a large restaurant can hold from 80-200 people, a medium-sized restaurant from 30-80 people and a small restaurant from 10-30 people. Depending on the size of your venue, you will need to choose one or more access points to cover the area. Also, should your restaurant include a terrace or a small garden, consider that you will need to install not only indoor but also outdoor devices for your deployment. Check out the list of Tanaza’s supported access points: by being multi-vendor, Tanaza offers a wide range of devices, both for indoor and outdoor environments.

2. Number of concurrent users

Based on your location size, the number of concurrent users connected to your network will vary accordingly. The network of a large restaurant may host approximately a maximum of 30 concurrent Wi-Fi users, the network of a medium-size restaurant may host a maximum of 12 concurrent users, whereas the network of a small deployment will likely handle an average maximum number of 5 concurrent users.

3. Internet usage

Lastly, it is important to pinpoint what kind of online activity your Wi-Fi users will do while being connected to your Wi-Fi network. Indeed, some applications consume more bandwidth than others: for instance, the rate of data transfer in your network – measured in bits per second (bit/s) – will be lower when users message and chat on Facebook, Whatsapp or Telegram, check their emails and browse the web. On the other hand, a higher number of bits per second will be transmitted across your network when users share or download/upload pictures and files on Dropbox and Google Drive, stream Youtube and Netflix videos, make VoIP calls or video calls on Skype.

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